Photo: Formula Motorsport Ltd
Nikita Bedrin will switch from Jenzer Motorsport to PHM Racing for his second FIA Formula 3 Championship season.
The Russian, who races using an Italian license, completes PHM’s three-car line alongside Joshua Dufek and Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak, and means only one place on the grid reamains to be confirmed.
Bedrin started his car racing career in 2021 with Xcel Motorsport in Formula 4 United Arab Emirates, before moving to Van Amersfoort Racing for ADAC and Italian F4. He claimed two wins in the former and one in the latter, and topped the rookie standings in both.
For 2022 he moved to PHM Racing and came fourth in F4 UAE and ADAC F4. He then stepped up to Formula Regional Middle East with the team at the start of last year and came seventh in the standings with two wins.
The next step up to F3 with Jenzer came under a partnership agreement between the team and PHM, who were now managing his career. Despite some occasional strong showings, including two podiums, he only managed to come 18th in the standings.
Post-season he made two surprise outings as a guest driver in FRegional Europe with Monolite Racing and VAR, coming away with a podium and a fifth place despite having not had the chance to test the car properly.
Bedrin began 2024 back in PHM’s line-up, but in F4 UAE. In the three rounds held so far he has taken three wins and sits second in the points table.
His main programme for 2024 had been in doubt, as Bedrin himself explained to Formula Scout in October, as a lack of budget threatened his ability to continue in FIA F3. With Jenzer having announced its drivers for the season, it is understood that a return to FREC had been the most likely outcome. However, fellow PHM-managed talent Taylor Barnard’s late promotion to Formula 2 provided Bedrin with a last moment reprieve.
“I am really happy to get this opportunity,” said a relieved Bedrin. “Very last minute news and very unexpected, so a lot of hard work will have to be done. Big thanks to PHM and [team partner] AIX for making it happen, I’m ready to give it my all.”
PHM’s sporting director Roland Rehfeld added: “Besides Taylor Barnard, PHM Racing is supporting and educating Nikita in the third season now. No doubts about his raw speed and talent, Nikita matured on and off track and convinced us to give him another chance to prove himself, after a difficult first season in 2023.”
Despite “being compromised by some bad luck, he was able to show some respectable highlights last season with two podiums under very difficult conditions in F3”, Rehfeld said of Bedrin’s rookie F3 season, adding that he had no doubt about PHM’s “very promising” driver line-up: “I am sure, that with all the effort and work the team has done through the winter break, we will compete consistently for points and podiums.”